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Aircraft Developed By Turkish Aerospace In Conjunction With AgustaWestland, Aselsa

The Prime Minister of Turkey said Wednesday that Turkish Aerospace is ready to begin mass production of the T-129 attack helicopter next year. The move is intended to grow the percentage of the country's military equipment that is produced domestically.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told TRT Haber TV that the government’s goal is to "fully provision with defense products through domestic production," according to a report from UPI.

The T-129 is being developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) in conjunction with Aselsan and AgustaWestland. TAI shares intellectual property rights with AgustaWestland for the configuration of the new aircraft. The Turkish operation will be the sole source for production of the fuselage of the new aircraft, as well as final assembly and flight operations. It will also be the marking agent to the export market for the T-129.

Turkey has become something of a force in the defense export arena, having shipped armored vehicles and light warships as well as air defense and missile systems as well as aircraft. All that manufacturing has helped the country quadruple its defense industry exports, the government said.